


First Watch

by helsinkibaby



Category: NCIS
Genre: Angst, F/M, Feelings, Fluff, Het, Pre Relationship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-11 02:00:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16466549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: While on protective custody detail, Nick watches Ellie.





	First Watch

**Author's Note:**

> This was written extremely quickly in reaction to Wilmer’s instagram story that went up today. (Here is the link; I can’t get the hyperlink to work? https://torresandbishop.tumblr.com/post/179597987194/onset-via-wilmers-instagram-story-103018. )
> 
> Ergo the ridiculous amounts of handwaving that go into the reasons as to why they are where they are.

When Nick caught his eyes growing heavy for the second time in five minutes, he pushed himself up from his slouched position on the couch, planted his elbows on his knees and rubbed the heels of his hands hard into his eyes. He was pretty sure the first rule of protective custody detail was not actually falling asleep when you had first watch. 

Particularly when protective custody detail was taking place in your boss’s house. On your boss’s couch, which was too damn comfortable for its own good. 

And definitely not when the second watch was fast asleep on the other side of the couch. 

He knew he should be keeping an eye on the door. And the windows, lit by the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree. And keeping an ear out on the back door too, just in case. 

But just for a moment, he let himself look at Ellie. Curled up on her side facing him, she had one hand curled across her waist, the other curled into a fist, neatly tucked under her chin, propping her head up a little. Her cheeks were flushed pink with sleep, the bangs that he was still getting used to sweeping across her forehead. His fingers itched with sudden desire, a need to reach out and push them back, to let his fingers tangle in her hair...

He was standing beside her with hand outstretched before he realised what he was doing and it took every ounce of his willpower to stop himself from reaching out and touching her. 

Protective detail, he reminded himself. Gibbs’s house. 

He dropped his hand. 

Then, giving into the slightest bit of temptation, he reached down, closed his fingers around the blanket that was draped lightly over her legs. Carefully, gently, he pulled it up so that it reached her shoulders, pressing it down slightly so that it would hold better. She shifted as he did so, face screwing up in a very unamused little pout. He didn’t move and for a second, he thought he’d got away with it. Then her eyelids began to flutter and they opened a crack, looked up at him drowsily. “Nick?” 

He never knew until that moment just how much he’d wanted to hear her say his name like that, all sleepy and mumbly and so vulnerable that it made his heart literally ache. 

He didn’t let any of that show in his voice. “Go back to sleep, B,” he whispered. “Just making sure you don’t freeze on me.”

If his name on her lips had made his heart ache, the sleepy half smile that appeared next made his stomach flip. “Okay,” she breathed, eyes closing once more and, just like that, she was asleep again. 

With Nick’s hand still on the blanket, still on her shoulder. 

He stayed there for a minute longer, not wanting to move in case he disturbed her again. Not wanting to move, period. 

Then he went back to keeping watch. On the doors and on the windows. 

But mostly on her.


End file.
